Indie and alternative rock duo Illiterate Light will be taking their first trek onto the Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival Stage in Franklin, TN for its 10-year anniversary today.
Pilgrimage takes place each September in Franklin, TN and brings an array of talented artists– from soulful rock-and roll and gospel to easygoing indie.
Doors will be pushed to 2 p.m. today due to weather, according to a statement issued by the festival.
Despite rain and a predicted flood risk, many acts – including Illiterate Light – plan to go forward with their performances.
“Foo Fighters have played it and some of the bands that we really have grown up listening to have headlined it. It’s definitely a big milestone for us to play in a festival like this,” said lead singer and guitarist Jeff Gorman.
The duo hails from Harrisonburg, VA, where they went to college together at James Madison University. They played in several different bands then worked on a farm together, which is where they decided to make their partnership official in 2015.
“We worked on a farm for a few years, and then in the midst of that, we decided to just form our own band because we felt like our chemistry and sort of creative partnership is really powerful with just the two of us,” said Gorman.
Powerful is just the word to convey the kind of live experience audience members have at an Illiterate Light show.
Their intentionally upbeat and captivating energy is one reason they have gained their traction.
“We sort of said that the main goal with this band, right off the bat, would be to have really engaging live shows. Like the way that Jake and I hope to engage with people and with each other is fun. Just engaging something that has a little bit of a jovial spirit,” said Gorman.
With the combination of energizing vocals, Jeff Gorman on the guitar and Jake Cochran playing stand-up drums, the duo has put together a dynamic new record named “Arches” that is set to release on Nov. 1.
Audience members at Pilgrimage will hear unreleased tracks from "Arches,” on top of two songs from the record that have already been released – “Payphone” and “Norfolk Southern.”
“At Pilgrimage, off the new record, we’re playing three songs that are unreleased. We’re playing more than half of the record,” said Jeff Gorman.
“Arches” captures both the personal and creative sides to Gorman’s writing and the duo’s versatility when it comes to making music.
Using a variety of instruments to make sounds such as synthesizers, piano, guitar, and drums, Illiterate Light keeps listeners on their toes.
“The genre kind of changes as we go. The songs just morph. Everything feels like it’s always, always in this state of evolution. It’s important to us to try to live on the edge and not just rinse and repeat,” said Gorman.
Illiterate Light recorded their new album with inspiration from places close to home and collaboration with experienced producers from as far as Hollywood, CA.
The majority of the record was pieced together in a studio Jeff Gorman built in his backyard during the COVID-19 pandemic. He refers to it as “The Bookhouse” as a tribute to the television series “Twin Peaks.”
“This was the first sort of bigger project that we did in my own studio, and it was really cool to do that. A lot of people have a little place where they can go and cut vocals and stuff like that, but to track songs in their entirety and then mix them, that was really special for us,” he said.
Taking their creation from the East Coast to the West Coast, Cochran and Gorman had two of their tracks produced at Sunset Sound Recording Studio in Hollywood, CA with the help of Joe Chiccarelli, who has produced tracks for big name artists such as The Killers and The Strokes.
"He produced 'Blood Lines' and 'All The Stars Are Burning Out.' I just loved what he brought to the table– he was really pushing us to get great takes, and that’s what you’re hoping for when you collaborate with somebody, is that they draw something out of you that you wouldn’t naturally draw out of yourself,” said Gorman.
The duo had the opportunity to be recording next to some of the best in the business, elevating their experience.
“We’re in Studio A, Studio B and C is Elton John with this all-star cast of people. I mean, it was epic, it was a great way to sort of rise up,” Gorman said.
Illiterate Light will rise to the Pilgrimage Stage in Franklin this Saturday to showcase what they’ve had in the works since 2020 with a performance they are looking forward to.
“This is a killer, killer opportunity, killer show– we’re super, super stoked to be able to showcase this new record on such an epic stage in front of a lot of people. I hope people dig the tunes,” said Gorman.
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This article was written by Georgina America